Earth ChangesS


Red Flag

Volcano Alert level for Mauna Loa elevated from 'normal' to 'advisory' status

Chelsea Jensen
West Hawaii Today
Thu, 26 May 2016 16:49 UTC
Mauna Loa eruptions
© USGS/Special to West Hawaii TodayPast Mauna Loa eruptions have sent lava toward Hilo, South Kona, Ka’u and Kiholo Bay, as well as other areas in between.
More than 31 years after Mauna Loa last erupted, sending lava within 4.5 miles of Hilo, the largest active volcano in the world is showing signs of unrest.

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Thursday elevated the Volcano Alert Level for Mauna Loa from "normal" to "advisory." There are four levels of alerts: "normal" — or background level, "advisory," "watch," and "warning" to inform the public about a volcano's status.

The change in status indicates the volcano is showing signs of unrest that are above known background levels, but it does not mean an eruption is imminent or certain, officials said.
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Cloud Precipitation

Streets turn into rivers after torrential downpour causes flash flooding in Greater Manchester, UK

Beth Abbit
Daily Mirror
Sat, 11 Jun 2016 11:21 UTC
loods in Hazel Grove, Stockport
© EPicGaz/TwitterDon't walk - swim! Floods in Hazel Grove, Stockport
The 'river' was caught on camera after a third day of flooding across various parts of Greater Manchester with roads closed and trains cancelled

Amazed residents have captured an incredible torrent of water pouring through the streets in flooded Stockport.

A rush of water is seen streaming done a road close to Torkington Park, in Hazel Grove , as drivers struggle to pass through the flooded carriageway.

Meanwhile, trains were stopped between Buxton and Hazel Grove due to a landslide at Disley.

Firefighters were called to Fulmar drive, in Offerton, at around 4pm following reports that flooding had affected the electrics in around 15 properties.


Floods in Hazel Grove, Stockport
© EPicGaz/TwitterFloods in Hazel Grove, Stockport
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Cloud Precipitation

Flash floods hit south London for the second time within a week

Jamie Bullen
Evening Standard
Sat, 11 Jun 2016 10:44 UTC
Water has flooded roads in south London for the second time in the space of a week
© Suseelan/TwitterWater has flooded roads in south London for the second time in the space of a week
Cars were left submerged under several feet of water after torrential downpours hit parts of the capital.

The flooding has sparked chaos on the roads in the Purley area with drivers delayed at the A23 Purley Cross after Foxley Lane was shut.

Buses in the area were placed on diversion due to the road closures.

Dramatic pictures from Purley showed cars apparently cut off by floodwater at a major junction.

One person tweeted: "Purley is literally flooded I feel like I just went swimming to get home."

Under water: Purley Cross
Under water: Purley Cross

Comment: See also: London flooding: Cars submerged as flash floods strike Sutton, Croydon and Mitcham

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Arrow Down

Garbage truck falls into sinkhole in Austin, Texas

Jane Webster
Austin American-Stateman
Fri, 10 Jun 2016 11:38 UTC
Austin sinkhole
© Rodolfo Gonzalez/Austin American-Statesman
A sinkhole swallowed the front end of a garbage truck in North Austin on Friday.

The truck's driver was fine — he found another truck and finished his route, a city official said — but Austin Water had to turn off the water in the immediate area for several hours while crews extracted the truck.

The cause was a 12-inch water main break, said Jill Mayfield, a spokeswoman for Austin Water.

"When water mains break, they run underneath the ground for a while, and then they're going to find the path of least resistance," she said.

The water from this break had flowed under the road and undercut its foundation, Mayfield said, weakening it enough for the heavy truck to break through.

A full block of West 49th Street was shut down between Woodview Avenue and Shoal Creek Boulevard on Friday morning while more than a dozen people worked to pull the truck out of the hole.

Workers hooked the truck to a tow vehicle, but then they had to get steel plates to make the ground safe enough for towing.
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Attention

Shallow magnitude 3.3 earthquake strikes near King City, California

Quakebot
Los Angeles Times
Sun, 12 Jun 2016 10:25 UTC
quake
© El Comercio/AP
A shallow magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon 18 miles from King City, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 1:32 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 3.1 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was 24 miles from Coalinga, 26 miles from Greenfield and 32 miles from Soledad.

In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.

A map showing the location of the epicenter of Saturday afternoon's quake near King City
© Bing MapsA map showing the location of the epicenter of Saturday afternoon's quake near King City, California
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Attention

Hundreds of aftershocks following magnitude 5.2 earthquake in Borrego Springs, California

Joseph Serna
Los Angeles Times
Sat, 11 Jun 2016 09:51 UTC
quake
© El Comercio/AP
There have been hundreds of aftershocks from the magnitude 5.2 earthquake that rattled Southern California on Friday.

Aftershocks are common after significant quakes, and Friday's temblor - which was felt from San Diego to Los Angeles and beyond - produced a few larger than 3.0. Most were much smaller.

The quake occurred in a sparsely populated area near Borrego Springs in San Diego County but the 1:04 a.m. quake was felt across a wide area.

"It's the biggest one for a while," said Egill Hauksson, a research professor of geophysics at Caltech.

Friday's temblor occurred on the San Jacinto fault, the most active in the region, Hauksson said. As of Saturday, the U.S. Geological Service listed more than 200 aftershocks in the Borrego Springs area, and there were others nearby.

Small boxes on a U.S. Geological Survey map represent the epicenters of aftershocks from Friday's magnitude 5.2 earthquake, signified by the larger yellow box.
© U.S. Geological SurveySmall boxes on a U.S. Geological Survey map represent the epicenters of aftershocks from Friday's magnitude 5.2 earthquake, signified by the larger yellow box.

Comment: See also: Southern California shaken by 5.2 earthquake

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Attention

4.9 magnitude earthquake strikes central Japan, tremors felt in Tokyo

Samhati Bhattacharjya
International Business Times
Sun, 12 Jun 2016 09:44 UTC
Senior member of Japan Meteorological Agency in a meeting
© ReutersSenior member of Japan Meteorological Agency in a meeting
A 4.9-magnitude earthquake hit central Japan on Sunday morning, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The epicenter of the tremor was 6km east of Noda and at a depth of 45km. The local media reported that the quake struck at 7.54am (local time) in the southern part of Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of 40km.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake struck the Kanto region, but there was no tsunami alert. Tremors were felt in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

However, there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
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Fire

Large fire at 16-story apartment block in London after a 'series of explosions'


RT
Sat, 11 Jun 2016 18:10 UTC
Brixton tower fire
© ITV London / Facebook
Fifty people from a Brixton apartment complex had to be evacuated as a fire spread quickly after what witnesses said was a series of explosions. Three people have been hospitalized with smoke inhalation.

"We were having lunch and heard a small explosion and we saw a black cloud of smoke going up and the growing fire," an eyewitness near to the Canterbury Crescent complex told the London Evening Standard. "Some seconds after the first explosion he heard one or two more, also small. There were some people in the field in front, I guess calling the emergencies."

The local fire station is located about 100 yards from the tower block, and the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that 72 firefighters and 10 fire engines were dispatched to put out the flame.

Comment: SOTT Exclusive: More mysterious high-rise building explosions - is there a 'cosmic' source of ignition?

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 5 and injure 8 in Bangladesh


en.prothom-alo.com
Sat, 11 Jun 2016 18:43 UTC
Lightning
Lightning strikes kill five people and injures eight others in Bagerhat, Madaripur and Barisal on Saturday, says news agency UNB.

The two people killed in Bagerhat were identified as Alamin Khan (34), who died on the spot, and Ajam Sheikh (48), who died later in Fakirhat Upazila Health Complex.

In Bagerhat, two people were killed and two others injured in separate lightning strikes in Mollahat and Morelganj upazila in the afternoon.

In Madaripur, lighting strike injured Foysal Sardar. He was taken to Shibchar Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.

An unidentified child died to lightning strike at Kadam Bari in Rajoir upazila.

In Barisal, a vendor, Sobhan (52) was killed by lightning strike.

Six other people were injured in lightning strikes around the upazila.
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Snowflake

Rare summer snowfall for Lapland, Finland


yle.fi
Thu, 09 Jun 2016 14:37 UTC
Snow in Finland
A storm with high winds which swept across western and northern Finland Wednesday night and during the early hours of Thursday downed trees and cut power supplies to up to 14,000 households. Parts of Finnish Lapland have also seen a "summery" eight centimetres of snow.

Highs winds are expected to die down as evening approaches as the low pressure area responsible for the stormy weather moves eastward.

Residents of northern areas also awoke Thursday to some rare white June landscapes. Snowfall was seen especially on the fells of Lapland and in the Saariselkä region which recorded as much as eight centimetres in some localities.

A Thursday morning scene in Rovaniemi.
© Sauli Antikainen / YleA Thursday morning scene in Rovaniemi.

Comment: See also: Summer snowfall hits China's northernmost province

Global warming? Snowfall in Siberia marks the official start of summer

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